Oniyersity oi the State o! Net York Bulletin 

Entered as second-class matter August 2, 1913, at the Post Office at Albany, N.Y. under the act 

of August 24, 191 2 

'^^^ Published fortnightly 
J AH 



No. 688 ALBANY, N. Y. June 15, 1919 

STATE-AIDED EVENING VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Page 

Purpose of the bulletin 3 

Division of Agricultural and Industrial Education 3 

Principles and control of state aid 3 

Work and province of state-aided evening vocational schools 4 

State aid 5 

Local authorization of public vocational schools 6 

How to secure state aid 6 

General requirements 7 

Administration 8 

Organization of courses of study 9 

Selection of teachers 12 

Advertisement of work of school 13 

Registration of pupils and school records 15 

Conduct of a school 17 

Methods of teaching 18 

Cooperating with outside agencies IQ 

Evening vocational schools and the small community 20 

Suggested courses 22 

Homemaking courses 26 

Buildings, equipment and supplies 28 

Manner of conducting vocational schools 28 

Reports 29 

Education law relative to vocational instruction 29 



ALBANY 

THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK 

I919 

^551-1620-2000 



THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK 

Regents of the University 
With years when terms expire 

1926 Pliny T. Sexton LL.B. LL.D. Chancellor - Palmyra 

1927 Albert Vander Veer M.D. M.A. Ph.D. LL.D. 

Vice Chancellor --------- Albany 

1922 Chester S. Lord M.A. LL.D. ----- Brooklyn 

1930 William Nottingham M.A. Ph.D. LL.D. - - Syracuse 

1923 Abram L Elkus LL.B. LL.D. D.C.L. - - - New York 

1924 Adelbert Moot LL.D. ------- Buffalo 

1925 Charles B. Alexander M.A. LL.B. LL.D. 

Litt.D. ----------- New York 

1928 Walter Guest ICellogg B.A. LL.D. - - Ogdensburg 
1920 James Byrne B.A. LL.B. LL.D. - - - - New York 

1929 Herbert L. Bridgman M.A. ----- Brooklyn 

1 93 1 Thomas J. Mangan M.A. ------ Binghamton 

President of the University and Commissioner of Education 

John H. Finley M.A. LL.D. L.H.D. 

Deputy Commissioner and Counsel 

Frank B. Gilbert B.A. 

Assistant Commissioner and Director of Professional Education 

Augustus S. Downing M.A. L.H.D. LL.D. 

Assistant Commissioner for Secondary Education 

Charles F. Wheelock B.S. LL.D. 

Acting Assistant Commissioner for Elementary Education 

George M. Wiley M.A. 

Director of State Library 

James I. Wyer, Jr, M.L.S. Pd.D. 

Director of Science and State Museum 

John M. Clarke D.Sc. LL.D. 

Chiefs and Directors of Divisions 

Administration, Hiram C. Case 

Agricultural and Industrial Education, Lewis A. Wilson 

Archives and History, James Sullivan M.A. Ph.D. 

Attendance, James D. Sullivan 

Educational Extension, William R. Watson B.S. 

Examinations and Inspections, George M. Wiley M.A. 

Law, Frank B. Gilbert B.A., Counsel 

Library School, Frank K. Walter M.A. M.L.S. 

School Buildings and Grounds, Frank H. Wood M.A. 

School Libraries, Sherman Williams Pd.D. 

Visual Instruction, Alfred W. Abrams Ph.B 

n. of P« 
SEP 9 1920 



0^ 



Universitj ol the State oi New York Bulletin 

Entered as second-class matter August 2, 1913, at the Post OflSce at Albany, N. Y., under the 
act of August 24, 191 2 

Published fortnightly 

No. 688 ALBANY, N. Y. June 15, 1919 



STATE-AIDED EVENING VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS 

Purpose of the Bulletin 

The purpose of this bulletin is to define the kinds of evening 
vocational schools entitled to special state aid under the provisions 
of section 605, chapter 531, of the Education Law, to describe the 
plans of organization and administration which experience seems 
to show are the most satisfactdry, and to indicate to communities 
the proper procedure required to enable them to secure state aid. 

In this bulletin will be found embodied considerable material 
which is the outgrowth of state conferences of vocational directors 
and teachers and of conferences of the National Society for Voca- 
tional Education, and the results of investigations and studies made 
by the Federal Board for Vocational Education. 

Division pf Agricultural and Industrial Education 

The Division of Agricultural and Industrial Education of The 
University of the State of New York is charged with the general 
supei'vision of vocational instruction, as provided for under the 
State Education Law, the administration of vocational education 
under the provisions of the Federal Vocational Education act, and 
with the duty of gathering and making known all obtainable helpful 
information upon the subject. 

Whenever the establishment of any form of vocational instruc- 
tion is contemplated in any locality in this State, application for 
preliminary advice and guidance should be freely made to this 
Division. 

Principles and Control of State Aid 

State aid for evening vocational schools is made available, and 
the work of establishing such schools is thereby encouraged and 
stimulated, because of the obvious responsibility which rests upon 
the State, particularly at this time, of assisting in every way in the 
training and betterment of persons engaged in useful and profit- 
able employment in the industries, in agriculture and in the house- 



hold. Vocational schools will also help to make them generally 
better citizens. No scheme of public education today can be 
regarded as truly democratic which fails to make special provision 
for the vocational education of a large portion of the population 
of the State, namely, those engaged in industi-y, agriculture and 
homemaking. 

The law commits to the Commissioner of Education the task of 
providing desirable forms of evening vocational instruction. He 
must approve, in each particular case, the plan of organization, 
the course of study and the general conduct of the school, as a 
necessary preliminary to the sharing of the subsidy provided for 
evening vocational schools. 

Work and Province of State-aided Evening Vocational Schools 

An evening vocational school is a school, or a department in a 
school, in which instruction is given in the trades, or in industrial, 
agricultural and homemaking subjects, to pupils over sixteen years 
of age who are regularly and lawfully employed during some part 
of the day, and which provides instruction in subjects related to the 
practical work carried on in such employment. Evening vocational 
schools providing instruction in homemaking are open to all women 
over sixteen years of age. 

The fact that special state aid is given to evening vocational 
schools, as defined above, which are under public control and man- 
agement and which are conducted in conformity with the rules 
and regulations of the Commissioner of Education, does not signify 
that there are no other forms of evening instruction which may 
prove to be of great value to persons engaged in the trades, in 
industry, in agriculture or in homemaking. Communities are 
encouraged to establish evening classes of every kind which will 
meet real needs, but the State is particularly desirous at this time 
of stimulating the organization of the above-mentioned types of 
evening vocational schools. 

It is clearly the intent of the law that evening vocational schools, 
except those providing instruction in homemaking, shall have their 
attendance limited to persons already engaged in useful employ- 
ment and that the instruction which they are to receive shall be 
directly related to such employment. It follows that state aid can 
be given only to those evening schools of the vocational order 
which give special rather than general training for the occupations 
in which their pupils are engaged during the day ; a training which 
stipplements the daily experience of the pupil with evening courses 



bearing more or less directly upon his work and designed to make 
him a more capable workman. Existing schools which have well- 
equipped shops, laboratories and drawing rooms can be used at 
night to render important service for those who work during the 
day. 

On the other hand the law distinctly states that evening voca- 
tional schools providing instruction in homemaking shall be open 
to all women over sixteen 5^ears of age employed in any capacity 
during the day. Therefore no direct connection need necessarily 
exist between the daily employment of the pupils enrolled in the 
homemaking classes and the instruction which they receive therein. 

All the instruction offered in such schools will be for the purpose 
of affording individuals opportunities for improvement, and con- 
sequently for advancement, within a chosen occupation. Experi- 
ence seems to show that larger numbers of individuals can be 
reached and helped in the evening classes than can be reached 
and helped through any other form of vocational education. 
It is not until after they have left school and have become 
wage-earners, that the majority of persons appreciate that promo- 
tion, progress and success come only to those who are the best 
fitted to compete with others. The evening vocational school does 
afford opportunity for increased efficiency. No form of school 
activity has more enthusiastic public opinion "and support badk of 
it than evening vocational work. It is practical in the extreme, 
meets a real need and, if properly conducted, is worth far more 
than it costs. 

In the field of present-day education few problems are more 
complex than those arising from the conduct of evening schools. 
Free public training for persons of mature age in evening schools, 
whether for the purpose of increasing general culture and civic 
usefulness, or for the enhancing of vocational capacity, is a matter 
of great contemporary importance. The elements making for suc- 
cess and for high grade service are to be found in the keen and 
direct interest and purposes of the students. Once that it is con- 
ceded to be the duty of the State to provide education for its 
mature citizens, there can be no doubt that in no other department 
of school work will a determined educational investment produce 
such great returns. 

State Aid 

Special aid for evening vocational schools is given under the pro- 
visions of section 605, chapter 531, of the Education Law. The 



( 



portion of the law, article XXII, concerning general industrial 
schools, unit trade and technical schools, part-time or continuation 
schools, practical arts or homemaking schools, schools of agricul- 
ture, mechanic arts and homemaking and evening vocational 
schools and all the amendments to date, are printed in full in this 
bulletin. 

Under the provisions of the law the State will apportion to each 
city and school district on account of the salary paid to the first 
teacher in an approved evening vocational school or class an 
amount equal to two-thirds of the salary paid to such a teacher; 
and it will also make an additional apportionment equal to one- 
half of the salary paid to each additional teacher, but not exceed- 
ing one thousand dollars on account of any one teacher. 

Any person employed as a teacher may serve as the principal of 
an evening vocational school or as head of a vocational depart- 
ment in an evening school. 

It is to be noted, however, that no federal funds, as provided for 
under the Smith-Hughes law, are to be distributed for evening 
classes entitled to aid under the provisions of section 605 of the 
Education Law. At a later date when larger apportionments are 
available it may be possible to give federal funds to local com- 
munities to aid the work in evening vocational schools. 

Local Authorization of Public Vocational Schools 

The school authorities of cities have power, under section 600 
of the Education Law, to establish and maintain vocational schools; 
but for their establishment and maintenance in school districts, 
section 602 of the said law requires the authorization of a district 
meeting, which may be given by the adoption of a resolution of 
substantially the following form : 

Resolved, That the board of education of union free school district 
No , town of county of , be hereby author- 
ized to establish, acquire and maintain a (state here the kind of school or 
schools to be authorized, using therefor the appropriate description thereof 
given in section 605 of the Education Law). , 

Due provision should be made annually for raising by tax the 
amount required to maintain authorized schools, as directed by 
section 607 of the Education Law. 

How to Secure State Aid 
State aid for evening vocational schools or classes can be secured 
by local communities under the following conditions: 



Any local community desiring to secure state aid for evening 
vocational schools or classes shall submit to the Commissioner of 
Education within thirty days of the opening of an evening school 
or class a plan showing how the community expects to meet the 
requirements of the law and the regulations of the Commissioner 
of Education governing such evening vocational schools. 

This plan shall include 

1 The general administrative scheme. 
Course or courses to be offered. 
'Number of nights school is in session. 
Length of each course. 

2 Complete and detailed courses of study. 

3 Special advisory committees and subcommittees. 

4 Applications for licenses for such teachers as do not hold 

regular authorizing certificates. 

Application should be made to the Director of the Division of 
Agricultural and Industrial Education for all necessary forms for 
the submission of such a plan. 

General Requirements 

The general requirements to be met by the local authorities 
desiring state aid on account of the maintenance of evening voca- 
tional schools are as follows : 

1 All schools and classes must be under public supervision and 
control. 

2 Pupils admitted to evening vocational schools or classes shall 
be sixteen years of age or over, and physically and mentally able 
to do the work required. 

3 Pupils admitted to evening agricultural or industrial schools 
or classes must be regularly and lawfully employed during some 
part of the day. 

4 The instruction provided in the agricultural and industrial 
courses must be definitely and helpfully related to the practical 
work carried on in the employment in which the students in the 
class are engaged. 

5 Evening vocational schools providing instruction in home- 
making are open to all women sixteen years of age or over who 
are employed in any capacity during the day. 

6 The equipment provided should be adequate to carry out the 
courses of study submitted for approval. 

7 There should be adequate supplies for carrying on the voca- 
tional courses. 



8 

8 Teachers with special training should be employed. 

9 All shop classes must be limited to eighteen students to one 
instructor; classes in drawing and related subjects to twenty-four 
students to one instructor and all homemaking and agricultural 
classes to twenty students to one instructor. 

10 Records must be kept on file in each industrial class showing 
the name of student, age, kind of employment, name of employer 
and address of employer. 

11 The course must receive the preliminary approval of the 
Commissioner of Education after submission of plan of work. 

12 The course must be approved by the Commissioner of Edu- 
cation after inspection. 

Administration 

Effective evening school instruction is conditioned by detailed 
and adequate planning. Systematic and careful prearrangement 
of work in connection with courses of study, class programs, 
service of specially qualified teachers, properly adapted equipment, 
comprehensive supervision and proper administrative plans, will 
do much to bring about the maximum of pupil attainment, which 
is the real end of service to be sought in evening schools. This 
bulletin purposes to indicate in the main the particular problems 
and the ways in which they have been best met, not only in this 
State but throughout the Nation. 

Out of the peculiar and differentiating characteristics of the 
evening school population, in contradistinction to the day school 
population whose needs have been fairly well charted, arise the 
difficulties attendant upon the conduct of evening vocational 
schools. We may sum up in a few statements the more importanl: 
of these differentiations. The pupils in the evening schools are 
workers, hence evening vocational schools are workers' schools ; 
the students represent every variety of ambition, need, interest, 
race and creed, hence evening schools are truly cosmopolitan and 
democratic; the pupils for the most part know what they want, 
hence all instruction should function to meet real needs. Such 
contrasts indicate that evening school work should be for the pur- 
pose of meeting individual and group needs ; consequently some of 
the established practices of teaching will have to be disregarded, 
and some of the customary educational implications will have to be 
forgotten if the requirements of this most unhomogeneous, 
ambitious and tireless group are to be met. 



This brings us to a consideration of the problems of administra- 
tion, the principal ones of which are those relating to 
Community needs 
Organization of courses of study 
Selection of teachers 
Advertisement of work of school 
Registration of pupils and school records 
Conduct of a school 
Methods of teaching 
Cooperating with outside agencies 

Community Needs 

The type of courses offered should be in general such as will 
meet the needs of workers resident in the community. Upon the 
local school authorities rests the responsibility for the proper 
determination of what constitutes these needs. A community sur- 
vey including a special and extensive study of the trades and indus- 
tries will give an exact basis of fact upon which to work. Per- 
haps no vocational instruction of any kind should be offered until 
such survey has been made. After a clear knowledge of what may 
properly find a place in a local plan of industrial education has 
been obtained, individual desires and demands may be considered. 
In places where the workers have organized associations along 
trade lines preferences for certain types of instruction may be 
easily discovered if a request is made for such associations to 
formulate an expression of opinion. If there be no trades bodies 
it will be well worth while to obtain the sentiment of such groups 
of workers as can be reached through industrial establishments. 
It is certain that some opportunity should be given for individuals 
engaged in the occupations to voice their needs. 

The changing demands of industiy must be kept constantly in 
mind if the wants of both employers and employees are to be satis- 
fied. New methods, new processes, new designs, new standards of 
production, if brought to the attention of industrial workers by 
the educational authorities, will soon create for a school a prestige 
entitling it to a position commanding the respect of those for whose 
benefit it was instituted. 

Organization of Courses of Study 

All instruction given in state-aided evening vocational classes 
shall be supplemental to the daily employment of the students, 



10 

except that no such requirement is set up in the case of classes in 
homemaking. The course of study, then, of every trade exten- 
sion class should be centered about specific trade practices oe 
theories. It has been demonstrated repeatedly that satisfactory 
teaching in a trade, subject can not be done in a class which is not 
organized on the basis of a common trade experience. Apprentices, 
journeymen and foremen will as a general rule be instructed in 
different class units. The Commissioner of Education can not 
approve for aid courses of study which are not particularly adapted 
to the needs of the workers in the specific occupations which the 
courses are planned to supplement. 

All persons in a trade extension class should come from a com- 
mon trade or from closely allied trades. No attempt should be 
made to secure special state aid for a course in machine shop 
practice planned to help a patternmaker, carpenter, plumber, 
janitor and watch repairer make a change from their regular trades 
to that of machinist. 

Some courses of study should be planned on a short term basis. 
The most successful schemes have in view from ten to sixty nights 
of instruction in a single term unit. In courses in related theory it 
is often wise to give only two nights of instruction each week ; in 
the case of courses in shop practice better results are secured where 
the training is more intensive. It is certain that the needs of the 
pupils will be best subserved by making suitable provision for 
nights to be devoted to recreation. Probably three nights of 
instruction each week would be the maximum number for which 
registration should be permitted and not more than ten continuous 
weeks of work on that basis should be arranged for. 

In regard to the short unit courses it is very important that cer- 
tain fundamental facts should be recognized. The short unit 
course of instruction has its special value for adult workers who 
have not the habit or inclination to attend courses of any length. 
Adults can be drawn for the most part to the evening school only 
to obtain assistance for some direct and particular need which 
arises from their immediate practical work. For young persons 
between the ages of i6 and 21 it is far better to offer courses of 
one or more years in length, composed of matter that relates 
directly to trade needs but is differentiated to its fullest extent. 
Inasmuch as for younger persons no fixed place in the industrial 
world has been determined, it is a mistake to emphasize to them 
the idea of the short course, which places the educational stress 
upon a practical part of a single subject of instruction. 



II 

Teaching should be closely related to the concrete since the 
average industrial worker is fitted neither by experience nor train- 
ing to acquire knowledge through abstract instruction. In the 
study of such industrial subjects as mathematics for carpenters, or 
drawing for machinists, the problems to be worked out should not 
only be practical in the extreme but this practicability should be 
made manifest to the student in that the problems should be either 
derived from the realm of familiar trade experience or else should 
grow out of some practical contact brought about as a part of the 
instructional process. To be of real value in the teaching of theory 
or practice a situation or thing must have come within the experi- 
ence of the student. 

In larger communities it may be found possible and profitable to 
organize a series of short sequential courses which will permit a 
pupil to begin his work at the point of greatest need. Related 
mathematics, applied drawing and shop work constitute a trinity of 
instruction which satisfies the demands of workers in a very large 
number of occupations. Courses can be arranged to run parallel 
to one another if the demand is large enough, otherwise in 
sequence. Pupils should always be able to complete any unit of 
instruction within the time that it is probable that the school can 
hold them. 

It is the concensus of opinion that a proper determination of 
what should be taught in a specific trade or industrial course can 
not be reached until the instructor is able to analyze his trade, or 
to list out all the things which a learner must be taught if he is to 
be taught a complete trade, or a well-unified and circumscribed 
portion of a trade. Por the proper arrangement of an effective 
instructional order this analysis is absolutely necessary. The 
instructor must see his trade not only in terms of the practical but 
also in terms of the theoretical. 

The teacher must know and be able to analyze his trade and 
must also be able to impart, that is, he must have or acquire for him- 
self the ability to teach. He must know that teaching is done 
through the medium of lessons, that every lesson must have a 
specific aim, that it must be developed by suitable methods, and 
that, particularly in the case of those who have not much experi- 
ence in teaching, it must be planned out on paper with due regard 
as to preparation, presentation, application and testing. The good 
teacher will know that the lesson is taught to get the learner to 
gain by his own activity. 



12 

Though these points may seem to be elementary, they often have 
been httle recognized in connection with evening school work. The 
short time given each night to instruction, the limited opportunity 
for supei"vision and the lack of any professional training on the 
part of many of the teachers make it imperative that greater atten- 
tion be given to the problems of the organization of courses of 
study, the methods of teaching and the general planning of work. 

Selection of Teachers 

Unless a teacher well qualified for the work is secured the class 
is doomed to failure even before its organization. Two qualifica- 
tions are essential for teachers of evening vocational classes ; 
first, a sympathetic understanding of the needs and aspira- 
tions of the pupils who are to be served, and second, an absolute 
mastery of the particular portion of the trade or related subject to 
be taught. Many other elements enter into the makeup of the 
successful teacher in the vocational education field which are com- 
mon to and apply to all public school teachers. 

Contact for a considerable period with trade conditions and 
actual experience for at least five years in the specific branch or 
branches of the trade to be taught, may be regarded as funda- 
mentally essential. 

No teacher should be engaged who has not a special authorizing 
certificate, issued under section 280 of the Regents Rules, which 
requires, generally, evidence of graduation from an approved high 
school, or the equivalent, and also from an approved professional 
institution wherein the applicant completed a two-year course of 
study in the subjects to be taught. Such rule, however, permits a 
special vocational certificate to be issued to a candidate who does 
not fully meet the foregoing requirements, if he establishes to the 
satisfaction of the Commissioner of Education that he is qualified 
to teach. To satisfy the Commissioner, the applicant will be 
required to furnish evidence of intimate knowledge of the sub- 
jects which he is to teach, gained through actual experience, and 
evidence of a satisfactory general education, and he may be 
required to take a testing examination. 

As a part of the state teacher-training plan, courses for the 
preparation and improvement of persons recruited from industry 
to serve as teachers have been set up in Albany, Bufifalo, Roch- 
ester, Oswego and New York City. Whenever possible, selections 
should be made from among applicants who have taken such 
teacher-training courses. 



13 

It is most important that every evening trade extension teacher 
should have the training, experience and abihty necessary to com- 
mand the respect of those from the occupation who are seeking 
instruction. It is recognized in the case of teachers of shop sub- 
jects that a standard academic education is not nearly so important 
as real trade capacity and power to teach successfully the shop 
processes. The teacher's prestige in the eyes of his students must 
be due to his skill, technical knowledge and trade standing. 

To secure those best qualified to serve as teachers the community 
should pay a suitable wage. In fixing upon a rate it should be kept 
in mind that the compensation can not be for the actual number of 
hours of instruction alone. Outside preparation of lessons and 
numerous conferences of the director and his teachers are 
necessary. 

Advertisement of Work of School 

Particularly in larger communities the effectiveness of any scheme 
of evening vocational training will depend upon the widest sort of 
publicity being given to the plan. It is true that in the past the 
workers have not been accustomed to look to the public schools for 
trade or technical instruction, but rather to private agencies which 
have advertised the value of such forms of education. Conse- 
quently advertising will have to be made use of to call attention to 
free public school activities of like kind. The resultant of our 
state plan of elementary education depends in large part upon the 
proper enforcement of the compulsory attendance laws. The 
advertising agent of the evening school has quite as important 
duties to perform in his field as has the compulsory attendance 
officer in his. Many persons are in a vague way aware that even- 
ing school instruction is given in various parts of the State, but 
the fact that definite and helpful opportunities along vocational 
education lines are open to many adults, who may desire to make 
progress in their chosen occupations, is little known or appreciated 
in many communities. 

Advertising should make a direct, intimate, personal appeal to 
individuals who will benefit by evening vocational training. Gen- 
eral advertising does not produce the desired total of results. The 
call should go to the many men in many occupations ; it should 
attract the attention of the bricklayer, the plasterer, the machinist, 
the bookbinder, the sheet metal worker and what not. If news- 
paper advertising is made use of, it should be supplemented by 



14 ' 

additional writeups describing the separate vocatiunal courses. 
Let the macliine liand wlio is now working on the planer and wants 
to learn how to operate another machine know that if he will come 
to evening school for ten nights he can learn to operate the uni- 
versal grinder. 

Information concerning homemaking courses may be sent 
directly from the public schools to those in the home whom it is 
desired to reach through the agency of the pupils. Printed informa- 
tion may advantageously be given children to take to their mothers, 
or it may even be found worth while to set apart a period for their 
instruction concerning the plan, purpose and work of the evening 
school. 

Employers' associations and labor unions will welcome a repre- 
sentative of the school system at their meetings. The practical 
character of vocational education assures the hearty cooperation of 
these organizations. More than this, it will be through conferences 
of like sort that a local director of vocational education will come 
into a better understanding of what the intimate needs of the 
workers are. If it is not possible for a school representative to 
visit such bodies letters may at least be sent to them setting forth 
the opportunities which are open, and of special interest to the 
groups addressed. 

In many cities the plan of placing posters in the street cars, 
stores, industrial establishments and various public places has fur- 
nished desirable publicity. Shop owners or managers have fre- 
quently written personal letters to employees calling attention to 
the advantages of evening school instruction; they have also been 
willing to place notices in pay envelops. 

Attractive exhibits of the wofk of evening school students placed 
in store windows in the business section, or open to inspection on 
particular nights in the school buildings frequently prove to be 
valuable advertising. In planning such exhibits it will be found 
well worth while to give proper credit to both students and teachers 
for the work which is exhibited. 

Particularly at the time of the initiation of a plan of evening 
instruction many advertising devices will have to be resorted to if 
a sufficient amount of interest is to be aroused. The idea that 
vocational training given at night is a worth-while form of educa- 
tion will be firmly fixed in the minds of workers only after several 
years of persistent publicity preceding really valuable courses of 
instruction. 



15 

Sequential short unit courses require continuous advertising. In 
fact, unless such a campaign is kept up classes can not be secured 
or maintained. 

All the preceding indicates that considerable time and money 
may be expended in doing what at first glance does not appear to 
be a proper function of the school. School boards and directors 
of evening vocational classes may rest assured, however, that unless 
proper attention be given to the work of advertising the school 
will fail to perform the service in the community which it should 
perform. 

Registration of Pupils and School Records 

A uniform plan of registration of evening vocational school pupils 
throughout the State is recommended. Inasmuch as certain 
information is needed at the time of inspection regarding the 
makeup of the class and also required by the Commissioner of Edu- 
cation for the annual report, a simple but comprehensive form of 
registration and record card should be used. Such a card may be 
used later to assist students who desire recommendations on 
account of their evening school work. It may also prove of value 
to the director of evening vocational schools in the distribution of 
advertising material. 

That registrations may be made on a sound basis it is recom- 
mended that the preliminary steps be taken in advance of the open- 
ing week. Opportunity should be given on certain nights preceding 
the commencement of class work for prospective pupils to consult 
with the director or principal and be tentatively assigned to a sec- 
tion for work. A clear understanding on the part of those desirous 
of taking up evening school work of just what they may expect to 
obtain in the way of benefits will do much to lower the student 
attendance mortality, and to insure a satisfactory attitude toward 
the school. A mistaken idea as to what constitutes a certain course 
will be found to be the explanation of many, if not all, of the 
requests for changes from class to class, or for permits to drop a 
course, which come to the director during the first two weeks of 
school. The director or principal and well-qualified assistants of 
experience should handle this preliminary registration. 

Final placement in a class should not be made until the pupil 
has satisfied the teacher concerning his ability to profit by the 
work. This is about the only satisfactory basis upon which a 
classification of any kind can be made. 



i6 

Students seeking evening school work come with every sort of 
preparation and experience, and only the deepest and most sym- 
pathetic insight and help on the part of the director and teachers 
will insure any kind of proper class assignment. 

Information which should be obtained from students at the time 
of preliminary registration, and which should be kept on file and 
ready for inspection and which may be required by the State 
Department before final approval of a class for aid is given, 
includes 

1 Name of student 

2 Age 

3 Occupation — a clear designation of just what the student 
does and which he declares entitles him to admission to a state- 
aided class 

4 Name and address of individual, concern or corporation 
employing student 

5 Previous school record 

The student's final record should indicate the total number of 
nights of attendance, the teacher's estimate of grade of work done 
and a record of the kind of certificate granted, if any. 

Connected with the subject of registration and records is the 
matter of admitting pupils to classes at irregular intervals. It may 
be safely established as a matter of regulation in all communities 
that admission to classes should be made at stated times only. 
After the opening session the waiting lists for registration for 
subsequent classes may be kept open and on a fixed date new 
registrations may be made. 

The size of classes should be fixed at the time of registration. 
It is required that shop classes be limited to eighteen pupils to an 
instructor and classes in related subjects to twenty- four pupils to 
an instructor. Since a great deal of the evening instruction is 
individual and the class periods are relatively limited, the reason 
for the recommendation is obvious. 

Particularly in the case of related subjects nothing does so much 
to disorganize classes and instruction and to discourage earnest 
pupils as the method of permitting registrations for a course to be 
made at any time. Much labor will be saved, unnecessary friction 
avoided, and dissatisfaction prevented by a proper regulation of 
applications and admissions. This will also eliminate over-crowded 
classes and prevent delays in instruction. 



Conduct of a School 

The board of education in a city, or the officer having the man- 
agement and supervision of the pubHc school system in a com- 
munity not having a board of education, is primarily responsible 
for the management and conduct of state-aided evening vocational 
classes. A responsible head, however, should be selected for this 
work, and ample time should be given him to carry out his plans. 
Industrial communities with a population greater than 10,000 are 
of sufficient size and the work is of enough moment to justify the 
employment of a competent director or supervisor to be charged 
with the responsibility of evening vocational work. It is upon the 
work of this executive that the success of the enterprise depends. 
It is he who will arrange for the conferences of employers and 
employees, who will plan the advertising, who will help select the 
teachers, plan for the location of classes, have charge of the enrol- 
ment, have regular evening office hours for consultation with 
ambitious workers, and provide information for the superintendent 
of schools and board of education. It is to be noted that the prin- 
cipal or director of a state-aided evening vocational school may be 
counted as the first teacher in such a school and that in consequence 
the community employing a director may be apportioned in the 
annual apportionment of state school moneys, a sum equal to two- 
thirds of the salary paid to such director or principal, but not 
exceeding one thousand dollars. 

A very important factor in successful evening school instruction 
is the regular attendance of pupils. School equipment and time is 
wasted, and accomplishment is less when attendance is irregular. 
It is clear that, as in the day school, a certain amount of non- 
attendance is due to causes beyond the control of the pupils or 
teacher. Upon the director and teacher may be clearly fixed the 
responsibility for nonattendance in the case of absence due to 
social afifairs, failure to hold the interest and attention of pupils, 
lack of discipline, ineffective methods of instruction, large classes, 
and improper classification of students. 

Students who are absent from a class for a week without a suit- 
able reason, or whose attendance is irregular and unsatisfactory 
should be dropped from the class and notice to that effect sent to 
tbem. 

Boards of education in many communities have adopted the 
practical expedient of requiring the payment of a deposit by the 



i8 

pupil at the time of registration. This deposit is returned at the 
end of the course, or at the end of the term to such pupils as have 
maintained satisfactory records of attendance. 

Methods of Teaching 

Good teaching in evening school is conditioned by a proper 
understanding on the part of the teacher of the needs of the 
students. This understanding may be had only when the instruc- 
tion is planned in every case to be helpful from the outset. 

The method of teaching should be group instruction, supple- 
mented by individual instruction. Care should be taken not to 
give too much individual aid. Pupils should learn to be self-helpful 
and self-reliant ; otherwise individual initiative is stifled. Inas- 
much as one of the prime requisites of an industrial worker is 
ability to produce, the highest standards of workmanship and 
attainment should be required by the school. Conditions such as 
prevail in industry should be maintained. 

In trade extension courses only the up-to-date methods of the 
trade should be taught. There should be, however, demonstrations 
of different methods of doing the same thing. The pupil's instruc- 
tion should never be limited wholly to the passing practice of the 
moment, as the comparison of various methods stimulates thought 
and resourcefulness with regard to trade theories and trade 
processes. 

Particularly in the case of inexperienced teachers the work of 
each period of instruction should be planned in advance and the 
plan submitted to the principal or supervisor for criticism and sug- 
gestion. It will be worth while to include in such a plan every 
detail of class organization and management. The exact character 
and extent of the work of any given unit of instruction should be 
definitely fixed and clearly explained to all students before that 
work is actually started ; since the end of attainment will be thus 
clearly in view students will make greater efforts than could be 
expected under any plan which lacks definiteness of purpose. 

As a matter of economy of time, individual instruction sheets 
can be used to considerable advantage in connection with many 
courses, particularly related courses. No single student will be 
kept from making constant progress with such a plan in vogue. In 
addition, the courses can be modified to meet special demands. 
Each instruction sheet should be planned to occupy the attention 
of an average pupil for a single evening of work. The principle 



19 

involved should be clearly indicated and the minimum of sugges- 
tion as to the procedure given; make the student as self-dependent 
as possible; never do for him what he can do for himself. 

Procedure in shop courses will depend upon two things : ( i ) a 
clear understanding of the sequential order of difficulty of the 
fundamental processes of operations involved in the trade, and 
(2) a proper choice of projects involving such processes. Definite, 
helpful, intimately related shop talks on tools, machines, materials 
or trade methods should form a part of every period of instruc- 
tion. It should always be kept in mind that one of the primary 
purposes of industrial education is to offset the monotony of nar- 
row specialization in modern industry through the development of 
extensive industrial intelligence as well as skill. Each step in the 
mastery of a trade, to be sure, will be held up as a goal to be pres- 
ently reached, but the ultimate aim of the vocational teacher is the 
broad training growing out of a proper contact with all the phases 
and angles of an occupation. The occupation of an individual 
should be made to seem worth while in terms of life value as well 
as those of wage return. 

The Director of Agricultural and Industrial Education will fur- 
nish upon request special material on the topic of methods of teach- 
ing industrial subjects. The material is particularly intended for 
the use of persons from the trades who may desire to acquire in a 
short time such information as may be helpful to them in their 
work as teachers. The material is suggestive only and is not to be 
regarded as in any sense a substitute for a teacher-training course 
or for any part of a teacher-training course. 

Cooperating with Outside Agencies 

No evening vocational school can attain to any degree of suc- 
cess when measured in terms of civic usefulness, which does not 
encourage the largest cooperation of all the agencies which may be 
interested directly or indirectly in industrial, agricultural and home- 
making education. Every city or school district maintaining voca- 
tional schools is required by law to have an advisory board to coun- 
sel with and advise school authorities in the establishment and 
maintenance of such schools. The board should be representative 
of the industries and occupations of the community. A special 
and separate advisory subcommittee might advantageously be 
appointed by the advisory board for each important trade taught 
in the school. 



20 

These special subcommittees should preferably consist of five 
persons, two employers, two employees, and a lay member. They 
should report to the advisory board and on important occasions 
involving large questions, might desirably be permitted to sit with 
such board. To these subcommittees may be referred, as to bodies 
of technical experts, the consideration of courses of study, qualifi- 
cations of men from the trades who may be needed as teachers, 
selection of suitable equipment, and the economic purchase of sup- 
plies. The director or principal teacher of the school should be 
the secretary of the advisory board and of the various subcom- 
mittees as well. 

It is required that the organization and membership of the 
advisory board shall be reported to the Commissioner of Education 
on blanks furnished by him. 

The advice of most of the social and industrial agencies in a 
community should be solicited in the initiation and conduct of a 
plan of evening vocational training. There should be secured the 
approval and support of the individuals who have shown in the 
past particular interest in general education ; it should be pointed 
out to such persons that vocational education is not at variance 
with, but serves as an auxiliary to, general training. Employers of 
labor and employees v/ill readily understand that their interests are 
identical and that the genius of democracy has been the untram- 
meled development of every portion of society according to its own 
particular interests and desires. Evening vocational schools, it 
should be pointed out, afford special opportunities for the develop- 
ment of the powers and capacities of those who wish to make 
progress in the world of industry. 

In order to make evening vocational schools an integral part of 
the community the work of such schools should be made plain to 
the general public through the agency of the newspaper, and if 
possible, by means of specially printed bulletins. The director will 
also need to plan exhibits, to visit factories, to speak before organ- 
izations and to consult individuals. 

Evening Vocational Schools and the Small Community 

Many small communities in the State have a distinctive indus- 
trial population which can be well served through the agency of 
evening vocational schools at a minimum expense. Perhaps there 
is no other type of education which can be so easily made to sei*ve 
the needs of the workers in places with populations of less than 



21 

10,000. This is particularly true in the case of the one-industry 
locality where practically every worker has a vital interest in mak- 
ing progress in a single occupation or in a group of occupations 
centering around a similar product. It is not expected that for such 
training elaborate equipment will be installed or that a large amount 
of money will have to be expended for supplies. Rather, it is 
hoped that in the main, use will be made of existing facilities or 
such as can be secured through loan or by the cooperation of local 
manufacturers who may be interested. For the small community, 
instruction in drawing and related subjects will constitute the bulk 
of the evening work for men. A very considerable amount of 
homemaking instruction can be given without much special 
equipment. 

Well-qualified men and women from the immediate neighbor- 
hood can frequently be secured to serve as instructors. Persons 
with good general education, considerable trade experience and 
proper personal qualifications may obtain from the State Educa- 
tion Department, upon recommendation by the local school authori- 
ties, accompanied by satisfactory testimonials as to character and 
ability, a temporary license to teach in an evening vocational school. 
Such a license may be renewed from time to time if the applicant's 
work proves to be satisfactory. In such cases preliminary approval 
of the teacher and of the course of study should be obtained from 
the Commissioner of Education. It is always expected that when 
licensed teachers or graduates of special teacher-training courses 
for vocational work are obtainable that such persons should be 
given careful consideration and preference in the matter of 
appointment. 

In general, community needs will be best served by the ofifering 
of sequential courses of a diversified character over a period of 
several years. This will help particularly to arouse interest and to 
encourage attendance. During a single season it may be possible 
to offer three units of instruction, classes meeting on two nights a 
week in such subjects as related drawing, mathematics and science; 
at the same time there may be offered homemaking courses in 
such subjects as the making and trimming of hats, special study 
of food values, and the making of unlined dresses, etc. A simple 
test of the demand for evening instruction, if properly made, will 
serve to bring home to the community a consciousness of the added 
value which arises from the extended use of existing educational 
facilities. In the small places It will be unusually easy to give every 
resident a clear idea of the aims and purposes behind any plan of 



22 

vocational training. Further, the exodus of young men and women 
from rural communities, which is due in part to the lack of oppor- 
tunities in the way of life-work training, may be checked if only 
school authorities with vision and confident hope and faith in the 
future will initiate some progressive and rational plan of education 
to help those who must go early into the workaday world. There 
are about one hundred communities in the State with populations 
of 5000 or more, in only a few of which has any evening trade- 
extension work been developed ; that properly organized and con- 
ducted evening vocational instruction would contribute to the needs 
of large numbers of individuals residing in these communities is 
obvious. 

The Division of Agricultural and Industrial Education is par- 
ticularly desirous of assisting in the initiation of the evening work 
in localities which will perhaps be unable to afford any other kind 
of specialized vocational work. Representatives of the division, 
upon request, stand ready to confer with school boards or super- 
intendents, to conduct surveys for the detemiination of local needs, 
to advise as to the courses of study and to help in the organization 
of classes. A very considerable amount of literature and sugges- 
tive material is now available for distribution without cost. 
Further, the State provides for the apportionment of special finan- 
cial aid under the general conditions set forth in this bulletin. 

Suggested Courses 

A very wide range of state-aided vocational courses has been 
offered in New York during the past year. A list of these may 
prove to be suggestive. They will indicate possibilities for exten- 
sion of the work. 

Trade Extention Courses for Men 

Architectural dratving 

Elementary courses 

Advanced courses 
Aeroplane construction 

Courses for wood specialists on aeroplanes 
Automobile work 

Carburetors 

Chassis 

Engine testing 

Ignition 

Starting and lighting 

Testing 

Theory of gas engines 



23 



Baking 

Theory and science of baking 
Blacksmithing 

Elementary courses in blacksmitliing 

Ornamental forging 
Cabinetmaking 

Advanced cabinetmaking 

Cabinet design 

Drawing and estimating for cabinetmakers 

Elementary cabinetmaking 

Carpentry 

Drawing for carpenters 
. Framing 
Inside finishing 
Mill work 

Plan reading and estimating 
Sketching 
Stair building 

Commercial photography 
Theory and practice 

Design 

Book illustration 

Commercial retouching and commercial design 

Costume design 

Interior decoration 

Jewelry design 

Ladies' garment design 

Men's garment design 

Plastic design 

Poster design 

Structural steel design 

Textile design 

Electrical 

A. C. theory and practice 

D. C. theory and practice 

Drawing and blue print reading for electricians 

Electrical theory 

Inside electrical work 

Municipal electrical theory 

Power plant operating and theory 

Sign flash work 

Telephone work — theory and practice 

Hydroplane boat building 

Drawing, layout work and practice 

Industrial chemistry 

Elementary courses in industrial chemistry 
Advanced courses in industrial chemistry 



24 



Machine shop 

Advanced machine shop practice 

Advanced drawing for machinists 

Blue print reading for machinists 

Elementary drawing for machinists 

Elementary machine shop practice 

Freehand sketching for machinists 

Shop mathematics for machinists 

Theory of materials and processes 

Tool designing 

Tool making 
Mechanical drafting 

Advanced mechanical drawing 

Elementary mechanical drawing 

Motion picture operating 

Theory and practice of motion picture machines 

Oxy-acetylene welding 

Theory and practice 
Patternniaking 

Advanced patternmaking 

Blue print reading and drawing for patternmakers 

Elementary patternmaking for apprentices 

Photo lithography 

Elementary theory and practice 

Advanced theory and practice 
Player piano 

Player piano mechanics 
Plumbing 

Blue print reading and estimating 

Lead work 

Plumbing installation 

Shop mathematics for plumbers 

Theory of plumbing — sanitary code 

Printing 

Advanced hand composition 

Cost estimating 

Elementary hand composition 

Job and cylinder press work 

Kelly press operating 

Linotype operating 

Monotype operating 

Offset presses — theory and practice 

Proof reading 

Typographical design 
Sheet metal 

Advanced drawing for sheet metal workers 

Advanced shop work 

Elementary drawing for sheet metal workers 

Elementary shop work 



25 

Ship building 

Lay-out work 

Naval architecture 

Ship drafting 

Theory of ship construction 

Sign painting 

Show card writing 
Sign painting 

Steam power plant 

Theory of steampower plant operating 

Tailoring 

Ladies' garment making 
Men's garment making 

Trade Extention Courses for Women 

Architectural drazving 

Elementary courses in architectural drawhig 

Automobile work 

Theory and practice of automobile work 

Corsetmaking 

Designing and making corsets 

Design 

Book illustration 

Commercial retouching and commercial design 

Costume design 

Interior decoration 

Jewelry design 

Plastic design 

Poster design 

Textile design 

Drafting 

Drafting ladies' garments 

Draping 

Draping ladies' garments 

Dressmaking 

Advanced dressmaking 
Elementary dressmaking 

Embroidery 

Trade embroidery 

Industrial chemistry 

Elementary industrial chemistry 
Advanced industrial chemistry 



26 



Machine operating 

Embroidery machine operating 
Garment machine operating 
Glove machine operating 
Straw machine operating 

Millinery 

Advanced courses in millinery 
Elementary courses in millinery 

Novelty ivork 

Advanced courses in novelty work 
Elementary courses in novelty work 

Printing 

Proof reading 

Tailoring 

Ladies' garment making 



Homemaking Courses 

The law indicates that evening vocational schools providing 
instruction in homemaking shall be open to all women over sixteen 
years of age who are employed in any capacity during the day. 

Vocational homemaking education includes those forms of voca- 
tional education the direct object of which is to fit for homemaking 
as practised by the wife and mother in the home. Vocational home- 
making courses are correlated with a composite vocation and may 
include a great variety of types of work the aim and purpose 
behind which are increased intelligence and skill as a homemaker. 

When the work for the year is planned the aim of each course 
in terms of benefits for women students should be clearly defined, 
and registration should be made upon the basis of this definition. 
There should be no overlapping of work because of failure to 
recognize the fundamental difiference between these two recognized 
types of state-aided evening courses for women. 

Courses of study should be formulated, teachers selected and 
equipment chosen with one of two ends in view. The equipment 
for vocational homemaking should conform as far as possible to 
ideal home equipment. This ideal can of course be only approxi- 
mated in the school. The equipment for trade extension courses 
should be in keeping with that found in the best and most modern 
industrial establishments. 



Z7 

Some Suggested Vocational Homemaking Courses 

1 Foods 

Purchase and care of foods 

Preparation of three home meals 

Serving of meals 

Preparation of the school or dinner pail luncheon 

Food for infants, growing children and aged people 

Nutritive value of foods 

Invalid cookery 

Use of meat substitutes and left-overs 

Canning and preserving 

Planning of menus 

Special courses in types of foods as meats, bread, vegetables, salads, 

desserts and the like 
Use of the fireless cooker . 
Pure food legislation 

2 Household management 

Simple methods of cleaning wrood, metal, china, glass 

Use of disinfectants, deodorants and exterminators 

Cleatising of pipes, traps, drains 

Care of refrigerator 

Cleaning 

Cleaning rooms and cellar 

Labor-saving devices and equipment 

Budget making 

Household accounting 

3 Health 

Personal hygiene 

Care of infants and children 

Home nursing 

First aid to the injured 

Food and clothing in their relation to health 

Municipal health regulations 

\ Clothing 

How to choose underwear; what to buy and what not to buy 
Purchase of ready-to-wear clothing 
Making of infants' and childrens' clothing 
Making of shirt waists and house dresses 

Use of commercial patterns for garment making and dressmaking 
Mending and remodeling 
Renovating and cleansing of clothing 
Laundering 

Millinery renovating and remaking hats; making and trimming hats 
5 House planning and household decoration 

Arrangement of house for comfort and efficiency 

Arrangement of a convenient kitchen 

Selection and arrangement of furniture for the living room, dining 

room and bed rooms with reference to comfort, attractiveness and 

economy of time in its care. 



28 • 

Buildings, Equipment and Supplies 

For the most part evening vocational schools will utilize the 
buildings and equipment provided for regular day school work. 
Frequently it will be found that the advanced character of the 
courses offered and demanded, and the maturity of the pupils will 
necessitate more equipment than that used for regular instruction. 
In such cases other provision should be made. In particular classes 
in shop subjects and homemaking education depend, for their vital 
connection with the trade and with the home, upon types of equip- 
ment. It is needless to say that obsolete machinery and antiquated 
tools should find no place in evening vocational schools. The 
Division of Agricultural and Industrial Education will be glad to 
advise concerning equipment. 

Adequate illumination for all classrooms is most essential ; good 
overhead lighting, aided by light-colored walls and supplemented 
by a sufificient number of localized lights is necessary for any kind 
of manual work. Adequate illumination makes for satisfactory 
class work and acceptable product and reduces the risk of nerve 
strain which may result from the constant effort to see. It has 
been noted that the attendance in properly illuminated schools is 
much better than in those with insufficient lighting. 

Supplies and books should be provided for use in the evening 
schools. A^any communities now provide free textbooks and sup- 
plies for day school pupils. The same provision should be made 
for evening school students. Lesson sheets and specially prepared 
outlines for courses in related subjects are as a rule furnished to 
students without cost; this is also true of supplies for work in 
drawing and design. 

Pupils in state-aided homemaking courses generally furnish, 
with the direction and advice of the teacher, needed supplies or 
else assume the burden of cost when the purchase is made by the 
school. 

Manner of Conducting Vocational Schools 

The requirement of the law that state-aided vocational schools 
shall be conducted in a manner approved by the Commissioner of 
Education is general rather than specific, and may be understood 
to contemplate his intimate knowledge and supervision of the 
methods, work and maintained condition of such schools and to 
aid him therein there will need to be frequent official inspection. 



29 

Reports 

Periodical reports from the schools will also be informing to the 
Commissioner, and regular administrative reports will be required 
in prescribed form, upon blanks prepared under his supervision. 

Required Reports 

1 Preliminary report — required within 30 days of the opening 
of any evening vocational school or class for which state-aid is 
desired. 

2 Annual statistical report — to be filed on or before August ist 
of each year. 

3 Annual financial report — to be filed on or before August ist 
of each year. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS # 

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